Julio Jones is the Atlanta Falcons’ best player, but that distinction is currently tenuous. With only one year left on his rookie deal, which is slated to pay the star receiver $5.2 million this season, Jones and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have not had any extension talks, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.

Jones is coming off a tremendous season in which he led the Russell Wilson Authentic Womens Jersey NFC in receiving with 1,593 yards. With Roddy White aging and quarterback Matt Ryan locked up and in the prime of his career, signing Jones would be of paramount importance. Atlanta has a good cap situation, with a projected $25 million in cap space this year (with a projected cap of $140 million).

A potential contract could be in the area of $100 million, a number only Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald have eclipsed at receiver. However, Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are about to hit free agency and could command that type of cash.

The Bills previously met with free agent quarterback Josh McCown, but the former Shaun Alexander Authentic Womens Jersey Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback left Buffalo without a contract and met with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday morning.

When asked by reporters at the press conference about free agent quarterback Mark Sanchez, who played for four seasons (2009–12) under Ryan with the New York Jets, Ryan sidestepped the question, saying that “he’s on someone else’s team.”

Ryan further noted that finding a quarterback was a high priority for the team, saying “it’s rare that you don’t go to the playoffs with a great QB.” The Bills own the league’s longest active drought without a postseason appearance, and haven’t reached the playoffs since 1999.

Ryan also addressed the signing of offensive lineman Richie Incognito, a move that was considered controversial at the time given Incognito’s troubling background and role in the Dolphins bullying scandal nearly a year and a half ago.

In the event you hadn’t heard, Rivalry Week is underway in college football. On Saturday, No. 2 Ohio State will host No. 3 Michigan (noon ET, ABC/ESPN App), and naturally, the only appropriate way to view the game is through an NFL prism.

The schools provide Desmond Bryant Womens Jersey an outsized segment of the NFL population, even though — gasp! — neither plays in the SEC. As such, we thought it would be fun to take a deeper look at the numbers behind their success as NFL talent providers, with a couple massive assists from ESPN Stats & Information senior statistics analyst Jacob Nitzberg and the bottomless database at Pro Football Reference.

First, let’s review the 2017 draft preview this game will provide. Michigan and Ohio State boast more than a dozen members of the top 150 draft prospects, as ranked by ESPN analyst Todd McShay. Keep in mind that the list includes underclassmen who might or might not declare.

Perhaps it’s a cyclical thing. After all, Ohio State has produced twice as many first-round draft picks as Michigan since the common draft era began in 1967.

They will all have chances to make more plays this Sunday against the Panthers and Cam Newton.

Pace and Warfield are both members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brady Duke Johnson Womens Jersey and Woodson almost certainly will get in during their first year of eligibility.

Overall, Ohio State has a slight edge in producing Hall of Fame players who spent their entire college careers at one school. When you count players or coaches who have partial ties to each school, Ohio State can boast 10 connections to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Michigan has eight.

Only Notre Dame (13) and Southern California (12) have more than the Buckeyes. Any way you look at it, these schools are two of the most historic and reliable NFL talent pipelines in the country.

Do the Green Bay Packers have a run in them?

Aaron Rodgers says they can win out, and that’s what it might take for the Packers to get into the postseason. Going into Week 12, Green Bay has an 8.8 percent chance to sneak into the playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is in the midst of an amazing run.

We’re not talking about his season Taylor Gabriel Womens Jersey as a whole, but rather a specific component. In a span that dates back to overtime of the Week 8 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, Prescott is 30-of-33 for 325 yards in the fourth quarter, with two touchdown passes and a touchdown run. He added 6-of-7 for 79 yards is the latest part of that ledger in Thursday’s win over the Washington Redskins.

Prescott now has eight games this season in which he has completed at least three fourth-quarter passes and thrown no more than one incompletion. After going 6-of-17 in the fourth quarter of his debut against the Giants, Prescott is 58-of-73 (79 percent), with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

And though he completed 83.8 percent of his passes — the highest percentage by a Vikings player who attempted 30 or more throws since Fran Tarkenton on Nov. 14, 1976, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau — his first five third-down passes of the day failed to net a first down. Those passes traveled just 1.8 yards past the line of scrimmage on average, according to ESPN Stats & Information tracking.

They’ve now used at least one substitute at every offensive line position, after Nick Easton replaced the concussed Joe Berger at center on Thursday.

His sixth, an attempt to hit Adam Thielen for a 7-yard first down after an illegal formation penalty from Patterson cost the Vikings a first down, turned into an interception that killed the Vikings.

Now, the cool thing about the pros is that everyone takes care of Tevin Coleman Womens Jersey each other. Veteran players will open up their homes to the young cats. Some coaches, too. And everyone in the locker room makes sure that the guys have a place to go for the holiday.

Practice starts much earlier in the day and players are out of the facility usually around 1 p.m. You try to keep as many traditions intact as possible. From the Cowboys’ late-afternoon kickoff to turkey around halftime, it’s a welcome break from the grind. And you need that as a player.

The mayor of Oakland announced that the city has reached a framework agreement with the Ronnie Lott group for a new stadium, with the hopes of keeping the Raiders in Oakland.

“It is exciting that we have reached a conceptual framework agreement with the Myles Jack Authentic Jersey Lott group,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf.

The Oakland Coliseum is shown on Oct. 11, 2015, when the Raiders hosted the Broncos.

The framework agreement does not include the Raiders, nor has Raiders owner Mark Davis agreed to stay in Oakland. The agreement would need to be approved by the Board of Supervisors and the Oakland City Council before the groups could move forward.

Watt said he approached the trainer to get some cream to take care of what he thought was a rash, and the trainer told him that they had to get him to a hospital immediately.

“I thought he was joking at first. But then I could see in his face that he was serious and actually a bit panicked,” Watt wrote. “As it turned out, he saved me in a big way. At the hospital, they immediately put me on three hours of the strongest antibiotic IVs. I went straight from the hospital to the team plane and we flew to Jacksonville.

“Once we landed, there were two more hours of antibiotics that night and two more the next morning Paul Posluszny Authentic Jersey before the game. The medicine had completely drained me, but I played — and we won.”

Watt, who was cleared Monday to take the next step in his rehab from back surgery in September, was at NRG Stadium on Tuesday, coach Bill O’Brien said.

“He’ll be back in 2017,” O’Brien said of Watt, who was put on injured reserve prior to Week 4 and is eligible to return to the team this week. “He’s back in the building today. He’s in good spirits, and working hard to be better than ever in 2017.”

The Chargers also still hold out hope that a decision by the Supreme Court of California could alter the requirement of how many votes a stadium project at the ballot box needs to pass.

According to California law, measures David Clarkson Authentic Jersey requesting an increase of a special tax for a single purpose in local government require a two-thirds vote.

However, the court is reviewing a decision on the city of Upland’s appeal that classified citizens’ initiatives as simple majorities.

San Diego city attorney Jan Goldsmith asked the court to expedite its decision, but it did not grant a motion to accelerate the case, which he said was expected.

“The commission will absolutely not increase as a result of this merger,” said Robins in a Friday call with ESPN. “We always try to balance what’s the right commission rate to make the games fun and exciting and make everyone feel like they have a chance to win and also to create a healthy profitable company. And those are the same objectives that will exist post-merger. We’re not foolish enough to think that we can raise commission to a level that players will just accept.”

Irsay, like most NFL owners, is a fierce competitor. That’s why he gave Luck a $140 million contract in the offseason and stood on a stage in downtown London some seven weeks ago and talked about winning “two or more” Super Bowls with the quarterback. The Colts have had fewer than 10 wins in a season just four times since 1998. They have to win at least six of their final seven games to avoid making it five times.

“The perception is that you’re automatically going back and going even further the next year just because you made it back the previous season,” former Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “You never know what’s going to happen. You can have a good football team with good people and it’s still difficult to do. [The Colts] have to have patience with this group and let it play. There’s no guarantee David Savard Authentic Jersey they’re going to win one. You have a quarterback in Andrew that’s going to keep you in the hunt every year, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to win it.”

Reaching the Super Bowl isn’t easy. From 1999 to 2010, the Colts were 138-54 when they had the likes of Manning, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Robert Mathis on their roster most of the time.

Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant has been voted the National League MVP, capping off a historic season for the 24-year-old star.

Bryant received 29 of a possible 30 first-place votes.

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy was the runner-up. Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, who was the unanimous Anthony Barr Authentic Womens Jersey winner of the NL Rookie of the Year award on Monday, finished third.

“Andrew McCutchen,” Victorino said, reiterating a comparison he made at the time. “I came back [to Boston] and I said, ‘Watch more and more of Mookie Betts, and you’re going to see Andrew McCutchen.’ And he is. He’s a clone. I truly feel they’re the same player.”

But not even the Pittsburgh Pirates star center fielder achieved what Betts has accomplished at such an early age. When McCutchen was 23, he batted .286 with 163 hits, 16 homers, 33 steals and an .814 OPS in 154 games — nice numbers, to be sure. But it would take another two years for McCutchen to emerge as a National League MVP candidate and three Audie Cole Authentic Womens Jersey years before he won the award in 2013.

In 2012, the Pirates signed McCutchen to a six-year, $51.5 million contract extension. Because Betts has been this good at such a young age, it will take a considerably larger offer — something in the neighborhood of the Angels’ six-year, $144.5 million deal with Trout, an MVP runner-up by age 20, an MVP at 22 — for the Red Sox to lock up Betts, though that’s probably a conversation for another day.

Meanwhile, we will watch Betts, who turned 24 last month, and wonder what next season has in store.

“You have to remind yourself that he’s still a young man. He’s still learning,” Amaro said. “He’s not going to be perfect. I know he wants to be perfect. If it’s a possibility, he’s going to strive to do that, which is the charm of Mookie.”

“I can’t even begin to describe how many trips I’ve had to make back and forth and how many boxes I’ve opened,” Bryant said. “For fans to care about me in that way, I don’t know if I could every repay them.”

The now-retired Detroit Lions receiver is one of four “Dancing with the Stars” contestants who qualified for next week’s finals, along with IndyCar Charles Clay Authentic Jersey driver James Hinchcliffe, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez and country singer Jana Kramer.

Johnson, though, didn’t make it easy in his surprising run through the show.

He was one of two stars in jeopardy of being eliminated Monday night and looked genuinely surprised when he was not called to go home. Johnson had an inconsistent night in Monday’s semifinals — more on that below — but his prior performances and fan voting pushed the receiver through.

Judge Julianne Hough said the salsa was the Chris Gragg Authentic Jersey “epitome” of what Dancing with the Stars is about — something echoed by her fellow judge, Bruno Tonioli. Carrie Ann Inaba said Johnson completely turned his night around with the second dance, which scored a perfect 30 of 30.

These were the judges’ comments and scores from Johnson’s first dance, the tango that included his rare mistake:

Julianne Hough (9): Oh shoot, we all saw it right there, dangit. I don’t know if it was the dress or the slip or something. But honestly, it was so great. It had so much attack. The precision, your guys’ chemistry I think was more on fire tonight than I’ve ever seen it. Usually it’s kind of a brother-sister friendship thing, and I saw some passion. But I’m so upset because it was so great throughout the whole thing and then there was a little bit of a mess-up, but you did keep going. You kept it going throughout the whole thing, so well done.

Carrie Ann Inaba (8): OK, so, tonight you’re fighting for a slot in the finals, so everything matters. I love that you tried something high-concept in the beginning. I don’t think it quite read, it didn’t quite hit and work with the music that well and then there was that, you kind of overpowered Lindsay. You’re like, ‘Oh, I made a mistake’ and then you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ll just take it to the end. I’ll get ya girl.’ I give you an A for effort. You have another dance, come back in the trio in the salsa and show us how it’s done.

Bruno Tonioli (9): Oh, out of mind-bending, surreal hallucination. I love the fact they were all coming from all angles. It was like an American Horror Story, and you broke out like Calvin the Avenger. You went for it with such power, such determination. At times, though, and it happens to me all the time, you have so much inside you [that] you want to express, and there are a few stumbles because of it. It happens, especially when you reach this stage of the competition. So no, don’t worry about it, you’ve got another round and you’ll get it right.

Johnson clearly excelled in the second dance — and he’ll now reach the end stage of the competition next week in the Dancing with the Stars finals.

It’s Friday, which means the NFL is handing out suspensions. Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Aaron Colvin, Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Andrew Turzilli were each suspended four games by the league, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. In addition, Green Bay Packers cornerback Demetri Goodson also received a four-game suspension, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

All four players were suspended for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs. All of the players will be allowed to take part in offseason practices, training camp and preseason games but will miss the first four games of the regular season.

When asked, incredulously, if he was serious about planning this far ahead, McGowan deadpanned, “Yup. I’lllllll do it,” drawing it out John Salmons Authentic Jersey for emphasis.

“I’ve watched it on TV. I’ve thought about, ‘What would be something good or something that I would enjoy doing for a decent, for a long period of time?'” he said. “For big guys in the NFL, they really don’t last that long.”

This isn’t a lifelong dream for McGowan. He started thinking about it recently, and he only watched the WWE occasionally while he was growing up. But he sounds determined to give it a try, with one thing left to figure out.

“I’ve been thinking, and I can’t Kirk Hinrich Authentic Jersey come up with a nickname,” he said. “But I’ll get one. It’ll be the best nickname you’ve got out there, too.”

When you’re well over 6’7, you’re already partly an NFL scout’s dream. But when you’re more than 400 pounds, it’s not the easiest thing to convince evaluators you’ve got abilities beyond being huge.

“Some people may be blinded by my size and not recognize, you know, the skill set that I do have. Once they see me, they might go ahead and make a preconceived judgment on how I might play or something like that,” he said. “But those people don’t know that I can catch. I can run. I have the agility to do stuff.”

There’s a pretty good chance he’s faster than you, and he’s got experience in basketball, track and baseball. He was a placekicker in high school and says most of his kickoffs reached the end zone. He can also catch footballs with one hand.

McGowan embraces being gigantic and he thinks it gives him a psychological edge. Rarely do linemen or linebackers go head-to-head against someone who completely dwarfs them.

One insider took Carolina, another took Kansas City and the third said he would take the Chiefs if he could have the points, citing their 17-3 record over a 20-game stretch dating to last season.

“I could see people wagering on Carolina, and I know the Chiefs gave up yards last week, but the Kansas City defense is so sound that I think it will give the Panthers some problems,” an offensive coach familiar with both teams said. “In my opinion, Carolina feasts on defenses that try to do a lot of things, because it’s tough to do all those things with Carolina shifting, motioning and going unbalanced. But a [simpler] defense like Kansas City’s will be less affected.”

“Nick Foles is not a starting quarterback, but Alex is so good at maintaining possession, being careful with the ball and moving the ball,” he said. “I think the Chiefs will move the ball.”

Roethlisberger’s history of playing injured is well-documented. He has missed some starts, but not nearly as many as doctors expected.

Manning and Roethlisberger are always going to get an edge in the “best of ’04 class” debate because each has won two Super Bowls.

Rivers has zero Super Bowl rings, which Tuukka Rask Youth Jersey happens to be the same amount his franchise has won, but few people doubt that one day he will join Manning and Roethlisberger in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Just to be clear, support for a blanket removal of marijuana from the banned substance list has little support.

“Not testing for it at all is one way of simplifying the issue, but there are bigger things in play,” said one owner, who requested anonymity. “You could argue that from a PR standpoint, it’s not a good look when we’re taking players off the field for multiple positive tests for marijuana. But PR-wise, we need some boundaries. What’s the message you’re sending to colleges and the youth population?

“You also can talk about three more states legalizing recreational use of marijuana, but it’s still illegal in the majority of states and it’s not Zdeno Chara Youth Jersey legal by federal law. And you have to deal with congressional reaction. There are other ways to go on this deal that maybe we can ease, but that has to be part of our next [CBA] negotiation.”

Paolantonio is reporting that Torrey Smith left the Ravens hotel Baltimore at 2 a.m this morning to be with his family after learning that his younger brother Tevin was killed a motorcycle crash. Despite the loss, Smith apparently told Ravens head coach John Harbaugh that he wanted to playing …

You’re probably used to this sort of subtle cudgel being twirled at cities like New and Boston, which tend to chew through their Matt Cain Jersey heroes just as quickly as they can exalt them. But Keown’s piece the current issue of The Pulp-Based Periodical is one of the rare stories that quietly rips a place with… Da’ Rogers has hit a couple pot holes his college football career: he committed to, but went back on that commitment and drew the wrath of the Bulldog fan base. He ended up at rival Tennessee, where he was the plum of the recruiting class and also charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest… Yeah, that wasn’t the score at all.

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Neeson dragged himself onto yesterday to and wow. Has there ever been a guest on who was unprepared to be a guest on? Neeson didn’t like where it was headed from the get-go-he was being asked about the Jets-and wanted to start over. But whoops, it’s live,… The worst part of ‘s -to-be-over slow-motion train wreck with the Red Sox is its predictability. To say that has never gracefully handled a losing would only obscure the fact that he’s never gracefully handled any. (Even during the salad days with the Mets, V.… Did you know, that as of right now, the NHL is still technically scheduled to start on time next Thursday? Yep, everyone is going about their business as if there’s going to be meaningful hockey next week, as if all the best players rushing back from Russia, as if the teams re-hire all the staff they… The Bears smacked around the Cowboys tonight 34, a score that sounds even worse when you remember the Bears gave up a garbage touchdown to Jason Witten in the final half minute of play. had a big game on the field and on the broadcast. He wound up with 138 yards and one touchdown and spent… Those intrepid internet lurkers over at Busted Coverage found this one, and we have to agree: Once we saw these photos and considered where they came from, all we were left with were questions. The photos were tweeted by a girl who appears to have been visiting New York City this weekend from parts unknown. But that’s….